NEET-PG: Exam cancelled amid impersonation threats; to be held on August 11

NEET UG 2024 row: On June 22, the Centre cancelled the NEET-PG exam scheduled for June 23 as a 'precautionary measure'

The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Postgraduate) scheduled for June 23 was cancelled just hours before it was to take place. This precautionary step was taken due to credible intelligence inputs suggesting potential ‘impersonation’ or manipulation attempts in the computer-based test, according to a report by The Economic Times.

Although there was no actual ‘leak’ of the exam, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), which conducts NEET-PG, received information indicating a significant risk of the exam being compromised, the report said.

The report quoted a senior official as saying, “There was no actual leak but credible complaints and inputs were there of possible impersonation attempts at some centres. There were also intelligence inputs on the same. That is why it was decided to postpone the exam.”

In a press release issued late on June 22, the government announced the postponement of the NEET-PG exam scheduled for June 23. This decision was described as a ‘precautionary measure’ taken due to “recent incidents of allegations regarding the integrity of certain competitive examinations”.

The Health Ministry stated that it would conduct a thorough assessment of the robustness of the NEET-PG entrance exam processes and would announce a new exam date as soon as possible. The exam has now been rescheduled for August 11. The June 22 statement emphasised that this decision was made to protect the students’ interests and uphold the examination’s integrity.

Over 240,000 candidates will take the NEET-PG exam to compete for around 24,000 MD seats, 12,600 MS seats, and 900 PG Diploma seats at various medical institutions. The NEET-PG scores are crucial for securing admission to postgraduate medical programmes in both government and private institutes.

In its recent submission to the Supreme Court, the Centre disclosed that NEET-UG 2024 counselling is set to start in the third week of July. Although the dates for the second round of registration will be disclosed later, the third round is expected to commence by the second week of September.